Extra Staples #0017

Extra Staples is a series of posts where I share various links I find interesting. It is not on any regular schedule, and the links can be old or new.

Wow, it’s been two months since my last installment of Extra Staples.
Don’t call it a comeback!
 

Stationery-related

A Field Notes Dilemma | Pens and Junk
Andrew describes a dilemma I’m all too familiar with: “what the hell do I do with all these notebooks?” There was a time I was very active on eBay, bidding a little too recklessly on rarer Field Notes, and I admit I have a couple old Field Notes editions that I’m afraid to use. Maybe it’s just a natural curve I was following as I took on a serious hobby. But I’ve calmed down a lot since and am more careful with my money in Field Notes collecting. And, like Andrew, I would like to use at least one copy of every edition I have, even if I have only one of it.

A Penchant for Paper: In Praise of my Completed Rhodia Notepad
Heather reflects on her 6 years of blogging (6 years!!!) by showing us her completed Rhodia No. 11 notepad that she used all these years for her blog reviews. How satisfying it must have been to use that last page! Congrats, Heather, and I’m looking forward to the next 6 years with your Rhodia no. 12! :)
 
Eberhard Faber First Class 6300 Pencil | Contrapuntalism
If I had to narrow my interest in pencils to only one type, I think it’d be fun to choose jumbo pencils. And these dark navy jumbo pencils look mighty tempting. Not necessarily screaming “for kids” either!

Paper Sizes Explained - JetPens.com
I still have trouble remembering if A6 is smaller than B6 (it is), so I’m definitely bookmarking this guide. Very helpful and comprehensive, as I’ve come to expect from JetPens.

Fountain Pen Contentment | Fountain Pen Quest
“Maybe I need to learn to write with both hands at once so I can use them twice as fast.” That’s how I feel about notebooks sometimes! I can get intimidated with so many shiny fountain pens showing up in my feeds, but reading about Ray’s contentment with what he has and uses reassured me that it’s possible to reach that point.

Guide to Pencils for Drawing | Pens! Paper! Pencils!
A very informative, neatly organized guide that I’ll be referencing next time I try new pencils. I’ve tried (and liked) some of the pencils featured in this guide, but not necessarily as drawing pencils. Now I know how they would perform for drawing and how they compare.

Tombow Mono Zero Eraser | pencils and other things
Oh man, are you going to get me into erasers next, Sola? :D

My Personal Field Notes Ranking — The Finer Point
Used versus Un-used pocket notebooks — The Finer Point
A fellow Field Notes-fan’s ranking and an analysis of her pocket notebook collection. What’s not to love? I love that Jenny actually counted her used and unused pocket notebooks, which I refuse to do with my own (denial has always been my area of strength).

Introducing Pen Addict Memberships — Pen Addict
Brad, aka The Pen Addict, quit his day job to go full-time with his stationery passion. How awesome is that? I’m sure it took him a lot of courage to make that decision. So happy and excited for him. Congrats, Brad! You have my support!
 

Fun

52 Places to Go in 2016 - The New York Times
Tell me, how do I become independently wealthy?

Speaking of traveling..
Pigment: a gorgeous art supply store in Tokyo | Spoon & Tamago

Free Printable Coloring Calendar Pages - Damask Love via Paper Crave

Hope you have a wonderful week,
♥ Jinnie

Field Notes Ambition in SPRiNG Magazine

Guess what I spotted in this year's February issue of Japanese fashion magazine Spring! Field Notes Ambition! You can see it in the upper left corner in the picture above.

As some of you may know, planning notebooks and journals are a serious business in Japan. At the end of every year, department stores and bookstores dedicate huge sections of their shops for next year’s planners. Even casual fashion magazines like Spring publish a spread or two on notable journals and notebooks, too.

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It’s interesting that the Field Notes edition featured here is Ambition, a past edition from a year ago (winter 2014 to be specific). I guess it makes sense, since the topic is planners, and Ambition is the only Colors edition so far to have the weekly planner format. But it made me wonder how readily available Field Notes Colors editions are in Japan and how well they sell. You know, the marketing/business side of things. Are there even Ambition 3-packs still left on store shelves there, for a mainstream magazine to feature it?

I remember a store in Tokyo (now closed) still had Day Game left back in late 2014, while another store had only the latest editions. If the online shop of Hightide, Field Notes' distributor in Japan, is any indication, there aren’t that many die-hard Field Notes collectors in Japan yet; they still have Drink Local in stock. I'm not an expert in the stationery retail industry though, in Japan or otherwise. Nor am I fluent in Japanese enough to do thorough research on the state of Field Notes in Japan. I'm merely a curious fan based in the US that came across a fun sighting because she has an interest in Japanese culture. :)

If you’re a Field Notes fan living in Japan, I’d love to hear your shopping experience and how well the Field Notes brand is received in the stationery community there!

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The short blurb on Field Notes at the bottom of the page isn’t anything revelatory, just a basic intro of the brand and the fact that Ambition is a variety pack. But it was still interesting to see my favorite notebooks in a different context, for a different audience in what I assume to be a more competitive market. And I was tickled this was in a women's magazine. My impression so far is that Field Notes in America tend to get marketed towards men, or more often sold in men's shops. So to see Field Notes marketed towards women in Japan, while I'm sure they have been featured in men's magazines too, is pretty neat.

Interestingly, Field Notes Ambition is featured under the group “New-look Daily Planner” along with: Franklin Planner, Noritake, and Traveler's Company. Some included in the “Traditional Daily Planner” group are: Knox, Rhodia, Hobonichi, Hightide, Quo Vadis, and Moleskine. It's an interesting mix of Japanese brands and non-Japanese brands, with some of the names we're already familiar with.

Go, Field Notes!

PS: Hightide has their own line of stationery that are worth checking out, in my opinion. And have you seen their special page set up for Field Notes? There you'll find the list of Field Notes retailers in Japan that might help you in your treasure-hunting. ;)

PPS: In case you missed it on my Twitter last year, here is another example of a Field Notes sighting, in a Japanese fashion magazine called Sweet (published by the same company as this Spring magazine). It's just used as a prop though; judging from the texture on the cover, it looks like it's a Butcher Orange, which is quite an old one to be featured in a magazine recently.